Boehner Tries to Walk It Back

Rep. Boehner just released the following statement, apparently trying to walk back his comments from his Face the Nation appearance earlier today.

Full text after the jump …

“Raising taxes on any American, and especially small businesses, in a struggling economy is the exact wrong thing to do, a position shared by not only by my Republican colleagues, and several of my Democratic colleagues, but by a vast number of economists.

“If the president is serious about job creation, there’s a clear way forward, and that’s for us to come together and pass legislation immediately that cuts spending to 2008 levels for the next year and stops all of the coming tax hikes by freezing all current tax rates for the next two years. Anything short of that may selfishly check a political box for the president, but it fails the American people.

“Instead of resorting to tired old class warfare rhetoric, pitting one working American against another, the president and the Democratic leadership should start working with us this week to ensure a fair and open debate to pass legislation to cut spending and freeze tax rates without any further delay.”

Now the race is on. Who’s going to be the first reporter who asks Boehner whether he stands by his specific point: that he would vote for a bill to extend only the tax cuts those making under $250,000 a year. On your marks, get set, go.